Sony adds VOD to PS3

Japanese users to get high-definition video service

Sony Computer Entertainment plans to launch an on-demand high-definition video service in Japan for PlayStation 3 early next year, according to Japanese press reports.

Japanese PS3 owners with Internet access will be able to download content onto their PS3 hard drives. The first offerings will be motor-racing vids and a BBC car documentary that Sony hopes will interest owners of its “Gran Turismo 5 Prologue,” which bows Dec. 13. Each download will cost about $1.85.

To kick off the service and promote the launch of “Gran Turismo 5 Prologue,” Sony is offering free downloads of “The GT-R Legend Inside Story I,” the first of a three-part docu about Nissan’s GT-R racing car. Users can download the docu free through Dec. 6. The other two parts will go online after the game’s launch.

Sony plans to add to its online service lineup with pics and other video content from SPE and other companies.